3 . At 81 years old, Jeanne Daprano is still pushing her body to the limit. She’s still running competitive races, breaking world records and taking on new challenges.“The thing I’m learning about aging is that it’s inevitable,” Daprano said.“I’m not going to escape it. There are two ways to go:You can either press on or give up.”

Daprano grew up in Iowa. Then, she moved to California. As a primary school teacher, she began running in order to keep up with her student.“I was known as a running teacher,” she said.“I had my students do fitness before we studied in the morning and then throughout the day.”Then she began running competitively with 5K and 10K road races before moving to the track. She is now the world record holder in the women’s 75-year-old age group 400 meters and 800 meters. “When I get to the final fi nish line, I want this body to be worn out. I’m not doing this to live to be 100. I’m doing this to be the best I can be today.”

After moving to Atlanta about a decade ago, Daprano met fitness trainer David Buer. Ever since, she’s been coming to his gym, where he tailors workouts for Daprano’s specifc needs.“When she came to me, she was pushing 70 years old,”Buer said.“I’ve worked with other individuals of Jeanne’s age, but she came to me with different goals. She had a unique drive and passion—not just a passion for fitness or athletics but for life in general.”

Last February, Daprano took on a new challenge: her first indoor rowing competition. In classic fashion, she broke the world record in the 80-to-84 age group, rowing 2,000 meters in 9:23:7. For those hoping to either start getting in shape or stay in shape for a long time, she offers this advice: Listen to your body. What are you passionate about? How are you going to keep physically fit and mentally fit? Start where you are. Don’t look ahead or compare yourself to somebody else.

5 . We all know about the health benefits of swimming. It offers a great workout for the body —it builds endurance, muscle strength, and cardiovascular (心血管的) fitness.    1    ? Well, many people are trying, based on evidence that it is good for us.

Cold-water swimming involves swimming in natural areas including ponds, rivers, and the sea.     2    . And research has found it can have much bigger benefits than that for your body and mind. Besides being good exercise, spending time outdoors and in the water improves wellbeing.

    3    . One man who suffered constant pain after surgery claimed he was cured by taking a plunge in cold open water. And another swimmer, Sandria Simons, told the BBC, “the immersion (浸) of your body in cold, salt water, just feeling like you’re at one with nature if you like, just feels amazing.”

But what are people gaining from this chilly experience? Doctors say getting into cold water causes a stress response, but the more you do it, your reaction to stress is reduced. It’s also thought to have a strong anti-inflammatory (消炎的) effect.     4    . Some experts believe cold-water swimming helps “cross-adaptation”, where one form of stress prepares the body for another. For example, it also helps reduce the stress of exercising at high altitudes.

    5    : approach it with caution, swim with a friend, and maybe start in the summer, when the water temperatures are higher!

The five interlaced Olympic rings have become fairly familiar. But do you know what they mean and the story behind the     1    (create)?

The 1912 Olympic Games, held in Sweden, were the first to include athletes from     2     were then considered the five continents: Africa, Asia, Europc. Oceania, and America.     3    (inspire) by what had become a     4    (true) global event, Coubertin designed the symbol of the Games: the Olympic rings. Since 1920, the Olympic rings     5    (use) in every summer and winter Olympic Games.

Given what we know about colors and their many symbolic     6    (meaning), it seems like it’d be safe to assume that each color featured in the Olympic rings would stand     7     something specific, like a continent.     8     in reality, that’s not the case at all. Coubertin     9    (choose) the six official Olympic colors-blue, yellow, black, green, red, and white (featured in the background) — because when he introduced the symbol in 1913, every single flag of the nations participating in the games could be reproduced     10    (make) use of the colors in the Olympic symbol.

8 . Benefits of Sports

Doing sports is a physical, mental and social adventure. It’s a great way for children to take a break from studies and release extra energy. It also helps them lead fuller and happier lives as regular sports have proven beneficial to overall well-being.

The physical benefits of doing sports are probably the most obvious. Regardless of your fitness level when you start playing sports, you’ll notice an increase in your overall fitness once you’re involved.     1     Basketball players focus on strength training; football players work on speed while track athletes train through longer runs. The training process helps promote physical fitness and performances in competitions.

    2     Playing sports also contributes to mental health, helping to increase confidence and self-worth. A pat on the back, a high five from a teammate, or a handshake after a match really boosts a child’s confidence. Words of praise and encouragement from the coach, parents and other players raise self-worth.     3     So after a game, it’s a better idea to ask “Did you enjoy the game?” rather than “Did you win?”

Children who participate in sports might also benefit from the social aspect, feeling part of a group, building up responsibility and leadership.     4     Teamwork involves both being dependable as a teammate and learning to rely on your teammates to achieve a positive outcome. Teamwork breeds responsibility and challenges you to be responsible for your actions. Being part of a team gives you an opportunity to be a leader.

Discipline is another social advantage. Most organized sports require a strict training and practice schedule. As a student-athlete, you need to balance studies and athletics.     5    

There is no shortage of reasons to find a sport to get involved in. Are you ready to go? Pick one and get moving!

10 . After graduation, I decided to take the gym seriously. Accompanied by a friend, I _________ a routine of walking on the treadmill(跑步机). I was _________ with our routine in the gym. My friend, however, became bored.

One day, he suggested that we _________ an outdoor sport. I was an uncoordinated (动作不协调的)person, so I _________ his proposal.

But several weeks later, he managed to _________ me to step onto an outdoor racquetball (美式壁球)court. When I hit the ball, I sent it flying in every direction except the direction that I had _________. Still, somehow, I tried hard to learn it and became _________ after constantly practicing.

“We’re not getting enough _________ on the treadmill. Why not play tennis to build up our body?” suggested my friend.

“Tennis? I can’t play tennis! That _________ real skills!” I firmly resisted his new __________.

Nevertheless, weeks later, I started playing tennis. After several months of painful practice, one day, as the ball came flying towards me, my racket and the ball met in what tennis players __________ as the “sweet spot”. I had __________learned how to play tennis properly!

I learned an extremely valuable __________ from these experiences: I can do whatever I set my mind on. I just need to put in efforts, and the results will __________. And I become quite __________ about trying new things and I’m always filled with a sense of excitement.